"WHAT!?" Minako exclaimed. "What do you mean Sho got himself captured!?"

"Calm yourself, Minako-san," Aigis told the irate redhead. She turned to Morgana. "Were you able to tell if they were from Sandā Arsenal?"

Morgana answered, "I'm not 100% positive, but who else could they have been? There were too many of them, and all of them had guns and tasers. I told Sho we'd be back for him, but if only I had kept a better eye on him-!"

"Don't blame yourself, Morgana," Minako interrupted, her eyes blazing crimson. "From the circumstances you've been talking about, I don't think there's anything you could've done even if you had seen them coming." Minako took a deep breath to calm herself, her eyes fading back to their normal warm brown tone. "At the very least, Sho's capture gives us one more crime we can prosecute those whack-jobs for."

"Even better that you brought this girl here," Naoto added, "seeing as she is a key witness. By the way, may we have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

Ayaka shook herself out of her stupor and cleared her throat. "Ayaka. Ayaka Tani."

"Pleasure to meet you, Ayaka-chan," Haru beamed. "Would you mind telling us why you were there when Sho was taken?"

Ayaka stammered, "Oh, uh, well… *sigh* I saw him walking into a restaurant nearby and I thought he seemed like an interesting guy, so I decided to follow him in and try getting to know him if he wasn't there with anyone else. We had a chat and ordered food, and we were hitting it off really well-"

There was a snort from Minako. "Wait, Sho was actually hitting it off with someone?"

"What?" Labrys asked. "It's good that he's finally openin' up to people and makin' friends. Even if he is sometimes an annoyin' prick."

"Let's let her continue please," Haru told them.

"Thank you," Ayaka spoke again. "As I was saying, we were just hitting it off when these guys in suits showed up, demanding he go with them. Obviously, we both told them to f*** off, but they weren't taking no for an answer, and when one of them knocked Sho's food on the ground, he took offense and started a fight."

"Culminating in Sho defenestrating one of them right before the reinforcements arrived?" Ren asked. When Ayaka nodded in reply, Ren grinned. "I've always wanted to defenestrate someone."

Naoto laid a finger on the bridge of her nose, her expression screaming I am so done with this. "That's seriously what you're getting from this?"

"Well, the way I see it, this doesn't really change anything," Ren said more seriously. "The raid on SA's headquarters is tomorrow, and they're dealing with Sho here. Uncooperative is practically his middle name, even without his Persona."

Waves of cold fury emanated from the cell where the subject had been thrown, so powerful that the men assigned to guard him were sweating in their boots, despite the numerous handcuffs, ropes, chains, and even entire rolls of duct tape restraining him. Even sedatives barely had any effect on him for longer than half an hour or so, and when they'd tried to take off his gag earlier so they could give him food and drink, he'd instead summoned his Persona. Now two guards were in the hospital for those weird, cursed burns his magic caused.

"Everything okay back here?"

The guards flinched at the voice of their supervisor. "N-no, ma'am," one of them parroted, "all quiet for now."

"He hasn't been giving you anymore trouble?"

"No, ma'am. He's just sitting there…"

"...menacingly," his partner added.

The three Sandā Arsenal employees looked into the cell. Sho was sitting there wrapped in a cocoon of chains and duct tape, his mouth triple-gagged, his eyes and scar blazing with furious azure light. His hair was also flickering with azure flames, the barest hint of his contained Persona threatening to break free.

"Right, well, just… keep doing your job, I'll see about getting the new shift in here soon." The supervisor retreated down the hall, looking noticeably paler than before.

"Ha, you're right," Labrys concurred. "Just thinking about it almost makes me feel sorry for those morons."

"So you're all here to take down Sandā Arsenal?" Ayaka asked. "And the raid is tomorrow?"

"That's right," Minako told her, "which is why you need to stay safe until we're done-"

Ayaka's expression immediately shifted to unbridled fury. "Let me help."

Ren cocked his head and Ken raised his eyebrows at this declaration. "That was a rather sudden turnaround," Ken noted.

"May we ask why?" Aigis inquired.

Ayaka clenched her fist. "The CEO is my grandfather," she ground out.

Everyone in the room froze for a moment. Minako started to stammer something, but she was too caught off-guard to form a coherent sentence. Haru recovered first, turning to the other occupants of the room. "Would all of you mind giving the two of us some space?"

"Okay!" Sophia beamed. "Cousin Aigis, Cousin Labrys, can you help me herd everyone out?"

"Hey, no need for that, we're going," Ren objected as Sophia stepped forward to try and push him out of the room. Everyone soon filed out, leaving Haru and Ayaka alone together in the common room.

After a minute, Ayaka ventured, "Haru, right? So, why did you have them leave?"

"You looked like you were starting to grow tense, and I thought it would be easier for you to tell your story to someone who had a similar experience," she said kindly.

Ayaka looked questioningly at her, and Haru began to tell the story of her own father, a rich businessman obsessed with staying rich, and viewed everyone and everything around him as a tool for his own gain, to the point where he was willing to sell off his daughter to a womanizing creep for political power. And how the Phantom Thieves showed up to change his heart.

"Okay, yeah, after hearing what you went through, I really have nothing to complain about," Ayaka said bitterly.

"Don't say that!" Haru insisted angrily. "The severity of my own problems and abuses two years ago do not detract from the severity of your own! The Phantom Thieves were created to help those who are too afraid to speak out. So let us help you."

There was a minute of silence as Ayaka considered these words. She'd never done this before. She'd never stayed in one place long enough to make proper friends with anyone before coming to Osaka. She'd never told anyone her story before. And then there was the conflicting information her head was receiving regarding Haru. She seemed harmless enough, but she'd been through the absolute wringer, dealing with a neglectful father and a sleazy, unwanted fianceé, and she was supposedly a member of the infamous Phantom Thieves of Hearts. That and all her friends were Persona-users as well. Ayaka's hope screamed that she could finally be free of her grandfather. Her fears shouted right back that she didn't know these people. Her memories pointed out that everything she'd ever heard about Persona-users supported the idea that they were heroes. Her memories and her hope ganged up on her fears, and before she knew it, the words were already tumbling out of Ayaka's mouth.

"Sandā Arsenal used to just be a small branch of a larger munitions company during the second World War, but after the war ended, grandfather's branch was liquidated and he nearly lost everything. So he gathered all his former colleagues and employees together to create Sandā Arsenal and started buying foreign weapons to sell here. After a while, he had my ma, and she got together with my da and had me. They never really got along that well with grandfather, mostly because he had a bit of a controlling streak and didn't really care who he sold his guns to as long as he was bringing in some sort of profit, so we spent most of my childhood moving from place to place, trying to find a good place to put down roots while at the same time being away from grandfather's influence.

"Then a couple years ago, grandfather called my parents, saying he was worried because of the mental shutdown and psychotic breakdown incidents and wanted us to come home to Osaka. Ma reluctantly agreed, but once we got here, grandfather only got worse. Started becoming paranoid, saying that there were people out to get him, that he didn't want my parents associating with anyone he didn't know, heck, he almost demanded I stay out of college and take a job at the company instead. Then when the Outbreak hit a few months ago…"

Ayaka was almost hyperventilating now, the memories coming back in a flood. Coming home to see her neighborhood ripped apart, her house destroyed, and her father missing. Taking refuge with one of her friends while the police and the armed forces fought the Shadows in the streets, trying many times to reach her mother, and finally seeing on the news a crashed car that looked just like her mother's set on fire by a Greater Shadow.

Ayaka took a deep breath to try and clear her head. "My ma died in the Outbreak, and I have no idea what happened to my da. Our house was wrecked, and I was forced to room with a friend until I could scrape up enough to move out on my own. Since then, grandfather's only gotten worse. I read on the news that he had a lot of his employees replaced, which probably explains why those goons didn't recognize me. He also started calling me, demanding I come to his house so he can 'keep me safe'. I put two and two together that if I went to him now, he'd never let me outside again, so I cut all contact with him and went into hiding. Once I had enough money, I was planning on leaving for a bigger city that would be easier to get lost in, but earlier today I noticed Sho and… you know the rest."

"And now that you know what we're here for, you want to face him yourself, right?" Haru asked. "To ask him why he turned out this way?"

"And maybe knock some sense back into his head," Ayaka admitted. "Before she died, mom was suspecting he'd started to come down with dementia, but he was being far too clever about everything for that to be the whole story. I want to know why he's doing this, kidnapping people in broad daylight and selling guns to yakuza. It's wrong, and furthermore, he has absolutely no right to show up right after my mother just died so he can try to dictate my life for me."

"Alright," Haru told her, laying a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "It's okay now. If you want, you may come with us for the raid. We'll keep you safe so you can face your grandfather. And we will stop him from continuing to do what he's done."

Ann had had to put out her hair four times since she'd gotten home. She'd almost set her cookies on fire. And she could not for the life of her get that annoying blush to go away.

Ryuji had asked her out.

Ann stamped down the mix of adoration and embarrassment welling up within her before her hair could catch fire again. It was just a movie and then dinner with his mom. She'd been to the movies dozens of times, and she'd met Ryuji's mother when they were in middle school.

But you hadn't been his girlfriend then, were you, mi alma?

Célestine's voice floated up from the back of her mind. Ann let out a breath she'd been holding in. Yeah. No denying it at this point. I like Ryuji. Maybe even love him. So why am I suddenly feeling so jittery?

You are afraid, my greater whole.

Afraid of what?

Of losing him. Of letting him see too much of the darkness within you and being repulsed.

It struck Ann that Célestine was right. Relationships were fragile things, and most dating couples didn't stay together for long. And yet already her heart was rebelling against the idea of having to say goodbye to Ryuji. He'd always been there in the background of her life, a friend she could talk to, could vent her problems to, had to scold for his loud and reckless behavior, like that time he almost sacrificed himself to get the rest of the Thieves out of Shido's exploding palace…

The thought of losing him, or worse, having him break off their relationship, was terrifying.

You needn't worry so much, mi alma.

How do you know?

He has already seen you for who you are. He already knows all your darkest secrets, your truest feelings. He was there at your Awakening, remember?

She did remember. He'd tried to chase her away to keep her safe, and when she came back anyway, while Ren had been the one who spoke the words that spurred her Awakening, Ryuji had been livid at Kamoshida's Shadow over her capture, screaming denials and expletives and barely restraining himself from dashing forward and strangling the Shadow with his pipe when Kamoshida threatened her life. And after the resulting fight, while his words about getting in the way of their infiltration had been harsh, he had been the one to step forward to help her out of the palace.

And didn't that just sum up Ryuji? Harsh and rude, but when it really came down to it, he never abandoned his friends.

Do not forget your resolve, my dear. I am thou.

And thou art I. Thank you, Célestine.

Ann turned her attention back to the mirror. The simple red floral dress and darker red cardigan certainly fit her quite well, but it just wasn't quite right as is. Ann reached up and removed the hair bands from her twintails, letting the golden curls cascade freely down her back. Much better.

Ryuji had gone for the direct approach earlier today. After a meeting with the other Thieves that afternoon, he had asked Ann if she'd like to join him afterwards for a movie and dinner with him and his mom. And she'd accepted! With a starstruck look and a blush that made the roses that she so often compared herself to look pale.

Ryuji gave a little start as the thought crossed his mind. Wow, never thought I'd be the one to use fancy metaphors like that. Guess Ren's really rubbed off on me.

A byproduct of being in love, perhaps?

William had a point. Ann made him want to be… better. Like he wasn't really worthy of being with her, but that if he put in enough effort, someday he could be. Though if he actually told her that, she'd probably just call him a moron. His mind flitted back to a memory from last week, when she'd yelled at him for shielding her from a blast of wind magic, his weakness. If they hadn't been interrupted by another Shadow, would she have…?

Ryuji pushed the thought out of his head. Well, they hadn't then, but there was still hope for now. In the meantime, he had to make sure his first date went off without a hitch. They weren't exactly going to a fancy dinner or anything, but Ryuji still felt the need to at least look a little nice for the occasion. Hence why he was wearing a yellow polo shirt to match his bleached hair (which he'd run a comb through for once to tame a little of the mess), his best jeans and sneakers, and a brown leather jacket he'd bought on Ren's advice. The end result was still something that was his sort of style, just refined in a way that was less thuggish and (he hoped) more manly.

Ruyji's thoughts were interrupted as the door to Ann's apartment building opened, and the lady herself stepped out… and Ryuji's brain immediately stopped working. Ann had let her hair down.

Ryuji ended up staring for a few seconds as Ann visibly composed herself and looked around for him, and barely managed to regain control of his body before Ann's eyes finally found him. Ryuji stepped away from the side of the building he'd been leaning on and strode down the sidewalk towards his date.

"Lookin' gorgeous there, Ann," he complimented genuinely. "I think my brain stopped working for a sec when I first saw you."

Ann's blush returned, dusting her cheeks with pink. "Not half bad yourself there. I didn't think you owned anything even remotely like this." She stepped in a little closer so she could take a little of the material of his jacket between her fingers. Her nails had been painted pink, like the gloves of her Thief costume, or Rebel's Garb as people were starting to call it now for some reason (though Ryuji did have to admit that the name was still pretty cool).

"You can thank Ren for suggesting the jacket," Ryuji told her. He took her hand with his own. "Anyway, don't we have a movie to get to?"

Ann gave a little giggle and squeezed his hand. "Lead the way."

The movie had been great, with Ryuji clearly having picked one that catered to Ann's love of romance, despite the fact that he'd been a little squirmy during those parts, barely able to control the static electricity that was starting to leak out of his hair and hands. Ann thought it was cute, like he was still a little kid. Maybe after tonight she could start to fix that.

"So what's for dinner?" Ann asked.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure," Ryuji admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I told mom I was planning on having you over for dinner, and she immediately decided it had to be a big surprise. When I got home earlier today, I'd been banned from the kitchen entirely. So I guess we'll both find out."

Ann giggled. "That sounds like your mom." If anything, Mrs. Sakamoto was even more electric than her son. Passionate about virtually everything she did, from working menial jobs to cooking, to doting on her son, and it was infectious.

The train ride and walk back to Ryuji and his mother's apartment was uneventful, at least until they got off the elevator to the sight of a man pounding on one of the doors.

"Ryuji?" Ann asked tentatively, looking up at him. Ryuji's expression immediately soured, his hands already crackling with electricity, his eyes blazing crimson.

"Dad."

Ann's blood ran cold. She'd never met Ryuji's father, only heard stories from after he'd abandoned his wife and son, but what she knew about Mr. Sakamoto was enough to make her hate him. Chronic alcoholic, physically and verbally abusive, possessive and controlling, all the hallmarks of an absolute piece of shit. And judging by how he'd only just turned up now after 6 years AWOL? He hadn't changed at all.

Ann clenched Ryuji's hand in hers and looked him in the eyes, everything about her body language telling him I'm with you to the end of the line.

Ryuji let out a breath, the lightning and the crimson in his eyes fading, and he stepped forward.

"I know you're in there!" the man was shouting as they approached. He pounded on the door again. "You'd better get out here-"

"Or what?" Ryuji demanded, stepping forward until they were only a few meters apart.

The man looked at him, confused. "Who're you, punk? Take your girl somewhere else. I'm tryin'a sort somethin' out with my wife."

"She ain't your wife anymore, dumbass," Ryuji spat. "Now get your ass away from my door before I call the cops."

Mr. Sakamoto paused again, his eyes searching Ryuji's face. A minute later, a spark of realization lit up in his head. "Ryuji!? Damn, kid, I didn't recognize you. The hell did you do to your hair?"

"Like that's any of your business."

Ann shivered as Mr. Sakamoto finally noticed her. "A ladies' man too? Quite the change from the unruly brat I remember."

"Guess that goes to show how much you ever knew about him," Ann retorted coldly.

"Woo-hoo-hoo, feisty," the man commented, his gaze turning even more lecherous. "Wonder how she compares to-"

"Cut the crap, old man!" Ryuji barked. "The hell do you want!?"

"What? Is it wrong for a man to want to see his family again? Especially when you need a place to stay when you're in town," the man said smoothly.

"You have no family here," Ryuji stated bluntly. "Leave."

Mr. Sakamoto sneered. "Don't talk back to your father like that, boy. I won't-"

"I don't care that you're my deadbeat dad," Ryuji interrupted. "You're an abusive, controlling, alcoholic prick, and the best thing you ever did for me and my ma was disappear. Now leave before I call the cops!"

"And last time I checked, domestic abuse and causing a disturbance in a public building were crimes," Ann added in.

Ryuji's father snarled, "I don't have to take this shit. I'm your father, boy. That means when I say something, I expect to be obeyed." He took a threatening step forward.

Ryuji sneered right back, "Back to showin' your true colors, dad? You might'a had a lot of experience beating people who couldn't fight back before, but I bet you can't even take half as good as you give."

"You little brat! You, your mother, and everything you own belongs to me! And if I want it, I can just take it, just like I've always done!"

"Not anymore, you son of a bitch!" Ryuji shouted. "You lay another hand on anyone I care about and I will personally see you rotting in jail!"

The elevator dinged and slid open as he said those words, and Ann turned and noticed uniformed officers walk out to confront the disturbance. Ryuji's attention flicked to her for a second, and in an instant Mr. Sakamoto was launching himself at his son with an enraged roar. Ryuji barely caught him by the wrists before his father managed to grab his throat, and even though the older man was noticeably heavier, Ryuji was a few centimeters taller and, thanks to his Persona, more than twice as strong. Ryuji quickly fended off his father, pushing him off to the side, accidentally sending him towards Ann. Ann sidestepped the stumbling lunge and stuck out a foot, tripping the old man and sending him sprawling onto the floor of the hallway.

"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" Ryuji's father screamed, and the ground around him erupted with ink. The police stumbled back wide-eyed as a dark aura exploded out of the man and his eyes turned golden. He spun to face his son.

"How dare you fight back! I can do whatever I want! I will-"

A powerful right hook collided with Mr. Sakamoto's jaw.

Ryuji's father almost seemed to float in midair for a second as the punch lifted him off his feet. His back arched, a tooth spun through the air and ricocheted off the wall, and he tumbled backwards to crash back onto the floor, out cold. The dark aura faded from the room.

Ryuji lowered his fist. Ann noticed the barest hint of red leave his eyes before he spoke again. "That's for every time you hit mom before you left," he spat.

"I'm pretty sure you knocked him out cold, Ryuji," Ann told him.

"Still wanted to say it," he answered. "That was a long time coming."

Ann turned to the officers. "I assume you saw everything?"

One of them stepped forward. "We received a call about a trespasser pounding on the door to one of the apartments on this floor, but we only arrived when the fight started. Would you mind giving us some context?"

Ryuji answered, "Well, basically, that guy's my dad, and up until about six years ago, he was a physically abusive piece of shit who beat my mom every time he got drunk. Then he disappeared one day, and he's only just now decided to come back."

Ann continued, "We were just getting back from our date when we found him pounding on that door," she pointed out which one, "and he kept refusing to leave because obviously we don't want him around. Eventually he got mad and decided to charge us, and you know the rest."

The officer nodded. "Trespassing and aggravated assault, since he was clearly aiming for the throat there, along with domestic abuse from around six years ago. And of course you were obviously just acting in self-defense. Still, can I get yours or your mother's contact information?"

Ryuji was sitting on the couch, head in his hands, breathing slowly to try and calm himself down. Ann leaned against his shoulder and rubbed his back. Even after everything, the police questioning had taken a while, and when Ryuji's mom had poked her head out of the door, naturally the officers had wanted to question her too.

"Are you alright?" Ann asked.

Ryuji let out a breath and dropped his hands. "Should'a known he'd come back eventually."

"Well, he's been arrested now," Ann reassured him. "And he won't be hurting anyone else again. And I've already called Futaba about the situation, so if he turns into a Corporeal Shadow, we'll know."

Ryuji was silent for a minute, and Ann couldn't tell what he was thinking. The seconds ticked by on the clock, and the scents of the dinner Mrs. Sakamoto had cooked wafted in from the kitchen area. Finally, Ryuji said, "I'm sorry, Ann. I didn't want our first date to turn out like this."

"Hey, Ryuji, it's fine," she told him. "He's gone now. He can't bother you, me, or your mom ever again."

"Yeah, I know that, it's just…" Ryuji paused and sighed. "Ann… he's still my dad. And I'm really trying to make sure I don't end up just like him, but… it still scares me. He and Mom probably loved each other at first–I mean, they got married and all–but he still thought he could use her as an outlet to vent on with his fists. I don't ever want to treat you like he did my mom. I don't think I could live with myself."

Ann cupped his face in both her hands and turned him to face her. "Ryuji Sakamoto, you are nothing like your father. You are one of the most amazing guys I've ever met. You're strong, you're crazy fast, you're streetsmart, and you have a heart of gold! The only guy who even compares to you is Ren, and that's not even a fair fight."

Ryuji snorted. "Yeah. What's with that guy anyway? He somehow manages to get top grades and be really athletic all with a smug attitude and those darkly hot good looks of his. I mean yeah, he's my best friend, but it's kinda unfair, you know?"

Ann dropped her hands and mock-pouted. "So if he's your best friend, then what am I, playing second fiddle?"

"Heck no!" Ryuji burst out. His expression suddenly turned sheepish. "I was… kinda hoping you were up for a promotion."

Ann's heart leapt in her chest. "To…?"

"Girlfriend."

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. He'd said the word. The one that suddenly, in that moment, meant everything to her. Ryuji looked up at her, brown eyes staring into blue. He looked like a lost puppy.

The last shred of Ann's self-control shattered. Ann's hands flew forward and dragged him in, their lips crashing together in a clumsy first kiss. One of her hands went up to his hair, while the other locked around his neck and shoulders, while his arms encircled her waist. They paused for breath for a second before Ryuji grinned back up at her, prompting another round of passionate kissing. Ann's hair had fully burst into flames and electricity was arcing between them, but Ann didn't care, he was hers now, this was everything she ever wanted, she loved this feeling, she loved him, and she never wanted to be away from him ever, ever again-

The apartment door opened and the young couple's eyes shot open as they sprang apart, blushing furiously and desperately trying to tame their respective magics (and in Ann's case, her messed-up hair as well) and failing miserably. Mrs. Sakamoto only smirked at them as she walked past towards the kitchen. "I'd say about time you two, but there'll be more time for that later," she sassed. "Now come on, we've wasted enough time because of my ex-husband. I expect to hear all the details on who fell for whom, when, how, and why."

"MOM!" Ryuji protested.

Ann was still blushing furiously, but she still laughed in spite of herself. She could absolutely get used to this.